After the Curtain
by mepb
Summary: Just what did happen with the beautiful singer at the Rat Trap after the curtain closed? Co-authored by HelenOfTroy
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: Basil of Baker Street, David Q. Dawson, and Ratigan are © Eve Titus & Disney. Katherine Mousechester and Sharen & Minnie Mildres are © Disney, but their names (apart from Katherine's stage name-Miss Kitty) and personalities are © me.

A/N: This story starts immediately after the curtain closes on Miss Kitty in the movie. Miss Kitty goes to Basil's house the day after he saves the Queen, so if you think that wasn't long enough for him to heal, sue me. Or flame me. Flames will be used to light Basil's Bunsen burner. So ha.

P.S. If the cockney accents of the mice sound terrible, be nice.  
  
After The Curtain  
By HelenOfTroy AND mepb13  
  
After the curtain closed on her, the mouse turned excitedly to her friends. "Well, 'ow  
  
did I do?"  
  
"You did beautifully, Kit!" Sharen clapped her gloved hands. "It's 'ard t'believe that was your first time singin' that!"  
  
Katherine "Miss Kitty" Mousechester blushed slightly. "Oh, you...it weren't anythin', really..."  
  
"Oh, don't ever say that!" That was Minnie, Sharen's twin sister. "You're the best singer I've ever 'eard!"  
  
"Minnie," Katherine said, "you've been sayin' that t'me since I started workin' 'ere. Give yourself some credit-the songs ain't the same without your dancin'."  
  
"But...but...Sharen, back me up 'ere, will you, sis? Kit's bein' all modest again."  
  
Sharen laughed. "Kit, be a dear an' 'umor my sister. I'm too tired t'argue."  
  
She brought out a basket from behind her back. "Besides, look what I found! It was a gift from a"-she made quote marks with her paws-"secret admirer."  
  
"Oh?" Katherine arched a single perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Would you 'appen t' know 'is name?"  
  
"Well...it was from James."  
  
Sharen and Minnie were second cousins of the one and only Ratigan.  
  
"'James'?" Katherine feigned surprise. "When did 'e become kind enough t'send 'is wonderful cousins a gift basket?"  
  
Minnie giggled. "You think 'e sent this for us? You're the one 'e comes t'see. You're the one everyone comes t'see."  
  
"Well, whether or not people come 'ere t'see 'er or not, let's not let this lovely basket go t'waste," Sharen said. "There's a bottle of wine in 'ere that's so strong it's against the law. Come on!"  
  
Cheering softly so as not to interrupt the other performers, the three mice slipped into their shared dressing room.  
  
"Pour me another shot, Sharen!" Katherine cried. "I ain't 'ad enough t'forget where I work!"  
  
Sharen sighed. "Well, Kit, you've only 'ad one glass. I don't think that's even enough to fuddle a lightweight like you."  
  
The three mice were in their shared dressing room (more like a closet, Sharen always said), enjoying the gift basket.  
  
The room was small, with wooden chairs and one small table. Cheap votive candles lit up the scene, illuminating Katherine's eyes, which were already glazing over from the wine.  
  
Katherine grinned at her friend's remark, turning to the other twin. "Minnie, what about you? You 'ain't touched your glass."  
  
"I...I ain't thirsty." Her paws, clenched into fists already, constricted tighter so that the knuckles turned white.  
  
Sharen cocked her head to the side. "Minnie...is somethin' wrong?"  
  
"N-nothin'...I didn't do anythin'!" She shoved her paws under the table.  
  
Katherine, lightheaded as she was, did not miss this movement. "Minnie?..."  
  
"I didn't do anythin'! Leave me alone!" Her voice quivered.  
  
"Minnie," Sharen said, "what d'you got in your paws?"  
  
"I-I-I-"Her lower lip trembled.  
  
"Oh Minnie." Katherine had finally figured out what was going on. "Not again..."  
  
"I didn't mean to!" Minnie cried. "It w-was that-that bloke in the striped shirt. When I-when I kissed 'im on the cheek, I just...just reached in 'is pocket and...and..."  
  
She collapsed into tears.  
  
Sharen, always the protective sister, leaned over and embraced her twin. "Minnie, it's all right. You can't 'elp your stealin'..."  
  
"I didn't mean to," Minnie wailed. "Honestly, I didn't...if the boss finds out, 'e'll fire me for sure..."  
  
"Listen, Minnie, it's all right. We'll go find the bloke, return 'is stuff...what'd you take, anyway?"  
  
Minnie held out her hand. "A...a couple o'shillin's an' a news clippin'. Nothin' big."  
  
"Right. We'll go find the bloke-"  
  
"Let me do it."  
  
Minnie stared at the blue-eyed mouse behind her. "N-no, Kit, don't w- worry, I'll retur-"  
  
"Believe me, Min, it's better if I do it. No offense, but you an' Sharen are a bit more...expendable than me. After all, the boss ain't gonna fire 'is star singer, is 'e?" His only singer, she reminded herself.  
  
Minnie sniffled. "No...I guess not."  
  
"So 'ere, give me the shillins' and the clippin' and I'll go return 'em." She held out her paw.  
  
Minnie held out her own paw, dropping the aforementioned items into Katherine's.  
  
"Th-thanks."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Slipping out of the dressing room, she scurried down the narrow hall, out a side door, and into the main area of the bar.  
  
The sight that greeted her was not pretty.  
  
"'Oly..." Katherine uttered a string of furious oaths. Working at a pub like this had its disadvantages, but the language lessons were wonderful.  
  
The barroom was complete chaos. Mice were beating each other with chairs, knives, mugs, and everything else they could get their paws on.  
  
Shots were ringing out all over the place. Katherine jumped as a bullet went whizzing past her, lodging in the wall quite close to her head.  
  
She'd seen plenty of barroom brawls in her two years at the Trap, but nothing this bad. An ugly, drunken mouse appeared out of the shadows, leering evilly; she could smell the Trap's famous terrible whiskey on his breath. "Sweet'art, izz too late f'r a li'l gel like ye t'be out here. Ow'z 'bout I take ye 'ome and-"  
  
Katherine promptly slapped him. He slumped to the ground at her feet.  
  
She slipped back through the door. None of the other mice had seen her come through, and she intended to keep it that way.  
"What??"  
  
Katherine nodded. "It's true. I went in there, an' I ain't goin' back."  
  
"But...what about the bloke in the shirt? 'E might be lookin' for 'is stuff- "  
  
"Minnie, you stole five shillin's and a piece of paper. 'Ooever this bloke is, 'e's not gonna care."  
  
"Let me see that clippin'," Sharen said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"'Cause I'm nosy."  
  
"Fair enough." Katherine handed it over.  
  
Minnie peered at it over her twin's shoulder. "Basil o' Baker Street Solves Mysterious Disappearance. 'Oo's Basil o'Baker Street?"  
  
"'Ow should I know?" Sharen said. "Now, quit peekin' over my shoulder. I'll show you the paper when I'm done."  
  
When she finally got done ten minutes later (she was a slow reader) she handed the paper to her sister. "There's not much t'read, just loads of mush about 'ow great this Basil chap is. 'E's some kind o' tec, by the looks of it."  
  
"A 'tec?" Katherine leaned over. "What would that bloke go see a 'tec for?"  
  
"Maybe 'e's a bobby," Minnie offered. "Maybe 'e needed t'go solve a crime with Basil's 'elp. Maybe that's why 'e came 'ere; James comes 'ere a lot, don't he?"  
  
"Maybe," Katherine replied. "There was someone else with 'im, remember? 'E looked mad when 'is friend came up on stage. Maybe 'e didn't want t'be noticed."  
  
"Or maybe 'e was just jealous," Sharen said. "We should 'ave gotten 'im up there too. Then Minnie could've picked 'is pocket an' we wouldn't be wonderin' as much- oh Minnie, I didn't mean it that way!"  
  
Minnie had burst into tears again.  
  
The other two mice hurried to comfort her. Five minutes later, she had dried her eyes and smiled weakly. "Right. What were you saying, Kit?"  
  
"Well, we were discussin' the possibility of this 'tec comin' 'ere to- what's that word?-appre'end your wonderful cousin," Katherine said. "Then we remembered the two blokes that were just 'ere, an'we're currently jumpin' t'conclusions...shall I go on?" "Don't let 'er," said Sharen. "If you do, we'll be up at one in the mornin' tryin' to stay awake while she's jabberin' on."  
  
"Well, fine, if that's what you think of me." Katherine slumped in her chair and mock-sulked.  
  
Sharen yawned. "All this talk of 'tecs an' stuff is makin' me tired. Mind if I take a kip, Minnie?"  
  
"Oh no, go ahead. Me an' Kit can discuss it-Kit?"  
  
Kit was already asleep, head flung back on the top of her chair.  
  
Sharen grinned sleepily. "All that intrigue must've gotten t'er 'ead. She ain't gonna wake up for ages after this."  
  
Minnie smiled. "Right. You just go t'sleep now. I ain't sleepy just yet."  
  
Smiling one last time, her sister closed her eyes and laid her head on the dressing room table. "G'night...Minn..."  
  
She fell asleep before her sentence was finished.  
  
Reaching over, Minnie blew out the candles. "G'night, sis."  
  
After that, the only noise in the dressing room was light breathing and not-so-light snoring.


	2. Chapter Two

-ANNOUNCMENT: Editations...by Helen of Troy...have been added to Chapter One  
  
CHAPTER 2  
  
"Kit, Kit, wake up!"  
  
Minnie shook her friend furiously by the shoulder.  
  
"No, mummy, jus' a few min'ts more..." Katherine rolled over.  
  
"Wake up!"  
  
"I dun wanna go skool t'day...go'way..."  
  
"KATHERINE MOUSECHESTER, GET UP!"  
  
Her eyes snapped open. "What? Where's the fire?"  
  
"Look at this!" Minnie shoved a newspaper under the mouse's nose.  
  
Katherine read it out loud.  
  
"GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE SAVES QUEEN Yesterday, famous detective Sherrin'ford Basil foiled a plot t' kill Queen Moustoria by the notorious Professor Ratigan. Makin' 'is escape in a giant blimp, Ratigan was pursued by Basil an' two others-David Q. Dawson an' 'Iram Flaversham. The professor an' Basil struggled on top o' Big Ben, where Ratigan fell to 'is death-What?!"  
  
"That's exactly what I said. An' look!"  
  
She pointed to a corner in the picture. "If that ain't the bloke in the striped shirt, pygmy shrews can fly."  
  
Katherine squinted. The picture was blurry, but she could make out a chubby mouse with a mustache. "Lord, you're right, Minnie! But then...'oo's that?"  
  
In the center of the picture was a mouse in an Inverness cape and a deerstalker hat. He was kneeling in front of the Queen, obviously getting knighted.  
  
"That can't be..."  
  
"It is, Katherine, it is! That's Sherrin'ford Basil...Basil o' Baker Street!"  
  
"Basil o' Baker Street? It can't be." The mouse in the picture was tall and thin, not at all what she would expect Ratigan's killer to look like. He was trying to act humble, but the smile on his face gave away his arrogance. "'E's too conceited."  
  
Minnie shrugged. "The paper says that's 'im."  
  
"Well, Minnie, the paper ain't always right. I'll believe that scrawny mouse is Basil o' Baker Street when I see 'im for meself."  
  
She pulled on her pink cape and drew a skirt up over her waist, covering the feathery adornments of her leotard. "An' that's what I'm gonna do."  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
"Cover for me if the boss finds out."  
  
"But...but Kit, you can't just...I mean...it's rainin'!" "Well, goin'up into the rain's better than stayin' down in the sewers. Lord knows what's in the water we get down 'ere. Gimme the stuff you took off that bloke."  
  
Half an hour later, shillings and clipping in hand, she knocked on the door of 221 ½ B Baker Street. {This better be the right bloody 'ouse.}  
  
A plump female mouse in a cap and apron opened the door for her. "Yes? 'Ow can I 'elp you?"  
  
"I'm lookin'...er, looking for Basil of Baker Street. Is this his house?"  
  
Just in time, she remembered the part she was playing. It was doubtful that someone as arrogant as Basil would let a cockney-talking bar girl inside his house.  
  
"Yes it is, as a matter o' fact. Oi'll just get 'im for you...Mister Basul! Mister-"  
  
She hurried into the house. Katherine slipped in behind her.  
  
The room was dim, as a blazing fire was the only source of light. As her eyes adjusted, Katherine could see a table full of strange tubes, liquids, and other items that she didn't know the names of.  
  
In the center of the room were two chairs, with two mice sitting in them.  
  
She recognized both of them.  
  
Basil, who was every bit as skinny and conceited-looking as the picture implied, was curled up in his chair, playing his violin. Katherine didn't know who the song was by, but it sounded good, and she was even tapping her foot slightly in time.  
  
The other was chubby and mustached, and was-without question-the 'bloke' from the Trap. He was listening eagerly, leaning forward, and completely ignoring the protests of the woman for "Mister Basul" to "stop playing for a moment! You have a client!"  
  
Basil seemed to be ignoring this as well.  
  
After a few minutes, the tan-furred mouse played the last notes of the...sonata? Concerto? Opera? Katherine didn't know, and didn't particularly care.  
  
The chubby mouse stood up and clapped. "Bravo! Bravo!"  
  
Basil bowed. "Thank you, thank you Dawson, Mrs. Judson, and-"  
  
He cut off, spotting Katherine. "When did you get here?"  
  
"This is yer client, Mister Basul," Mrs. Judson said. "I tried to tell you, but-"  
  
"Yes, yes, I know." Basil motioned to Katherine. "Dawson, if you would-"  
  
"Certainly." He got up from his chair, motioning Katherine to sit down.  
  
"Now," said Basil, putting his fingertips together, "how can I help you?"   
  
His fingers flew over the strings of the violin, playing a song he had practiced countless times. In the background, someone was calling him- probably Mrs. Judson. It was either a client or dinner. His violin came first either way.  
  
It was probably dinner; clients had been hard to come by these days.  
  
He finished the song, stood up, and bowed.  
  
Dawson...his assistant, partner, friend...stood up as well, giving him applause that an entire opera audience didn't give Mozart. "Bravo! Bravo!"  
  
He bowed. "Thank you Dawson, Mrs. Judson (she hadn't been clapping, but oh well) and-"  
  
Then he saw her.  
  
She was completely white, wearing a pink cape with a blue skirt. A blue bow was tied on the back of her head, more for looks than usefulness; her hair was the exact same color as the rest of her fur and was cut short.  
  
Basil's jaw dropped, more from surprise that a visitor had come in so quietly than at said visitor's beauty. "When did you get here?"  
  
Mrs. Judson said something about clients, but Basil brushed her off. The girl was looking at him with a mixture of disbelief and contempt, and he didn't particularly like it.  
  
"Dawson, if you would-"  
  
His partner got up from the chair. The girl sat down, still watching Basil.  
  
Basil settled in his own chair, observing the girl over his fingertips. {A sewer mouse, entertainer of some sort...probably singer.} She probably needed him to find her lost boyfriend...who would most likely turn up in the sewers with a knife in his back. However, a case was a case, and Lord knows they needed to pay the rent.  
  
"Now then...how can I help you?"  
  
The girl affected an innocent look. "You are Basil of Baker Street, are you not?"  
  
Basil blinked. "Of course I am. And this is my partner, Dr. David Q. Dawson."  
  
Dawson smiled pleasantly. "Pleased to meet you, madam."  
  
"All right then." The girl stood up. "Goodbye."  
  
It took Basil five seconds for the words to sink in. "What?"  
  
"I said goodbye, Mr. Basil. Thank you for your time."  
  
She calmly walked out of the flat, leaving Basil sputtering behind her.  
  
When she was a good block away, she dissolved into girlish giggles.  
  
The look on Basil's face had been priceless. {An idiot like 'im kill the Professor? Not if 'e 'ad the entire Royal Army be'ind 'im!}  
  
When she arrived at the Trap, she was bowled over by the twins, both panting.  
  
"It's true, Kit, it's true!" They spoke in unison. "James's dead!" END CHAPTER TWO  
  
-A/N: Sherringford (the name) is © Diane Tran.

-Sorry I'm taking so long with these chapters, but sometimes I have to force myself to write.

-Thanks for all your wonderful reviews, everyone! I love you all!

-P.S. Check out my pal mepb's fics. She's the one I'm mooching off to get my story up here. Her DND fic r0x0r. Read it.


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